A three-day workshop ‘Clean Water through Advanced and Affordable Materials’ brought together early career researchers, including 12 from the United Kingdom and 15 from India.
The workshop is part of British Council’s collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry. It is the first of six ‘Newton Bhabha Researcher Link Workshops’ awarded in 2015-16 and was inaugurated by Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner at BS Abdur Rahman University.
David Jenkins from Plymouth University and Vasanthakumari, Director of Polymer NanoTechnology Centre, BS Abdur Rahman University, coordinated the workshop.
Mr. Joshi, who lauded the effort, said the co-investment made by both countries in supporting joint research activities had risen from £1 million in 2009 to around £12 million and continues to grow. According to Stephen Hawthorne, Deputy Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the programme would offer new opportunities for chemists to partner internationally over the next few years.
Mei-kwei Barker, Director, British Council South India , said the Newton Bhabha Fund would be used to support greater scientific research capacity in India and build research partnerships between British and Indian research institutions. “We hope that the skills and knowledge developed through this partnership will make a significant contribution to various fields underpinning science,” he said.
Dr. Vasanthakumari the workshop focussed on providing clean drinking water through affordable materials and nanotechnology.
Varsities to contribute
Leading universities from the U.K. (Cambridge, Nottingham and Cardiff) and India (IIT-Delhi, IIT-Madras and IIT- Mandi) will contribute to the workshops in India. These workshops will focus on varied chemical sciences topics such as human health, energy and environment and sustainability.
Co-investment in joint research activities
has risen from £1 million in 2009 to around £12 million
*This article has been corrected for a factual error.
